Pancreatic Cancer

By: John Mahoney and Joey Brisson

Pancreatic Cancer

By: John Mahoney and Joey Brisson

What Is Pancreatic Cancer?

Pancreatic cancer is fundamentally a disease caused by damage to the DNA. In the early stages of this cancer symptoms do not occur. Throughout diagnosis and treatment a malignant tumor may form and has the potential to block the common bile duct during which bile cannot pass into the digestive system.

Pancreatic Cancer - About Pancreatic Cancer

What Are The Causes (Risk Factors) Of Pancreatic Cancer?

A risk factor is anything that affects your chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors.

Smoking

Chemical Exposure

Obesity

Physical Inactivity

Family History

Genetic Syndromes

Cirrhosis of the Liver

Diabetes

Stomach problems

Poor Diet

What Are The Symptoms Of Pancreatic Cancer?

Upper abdominal pain that may radiate to your back.

Yellowing in the skin and white of the eyes (Jaundice)

Loss of appetite

Weight Loss

Depression

Blood clots

How prevalent is pancreatic cancer?

It is more common in older people. Almost half of all new cases are diagnosed in people aged 75 and over. Pancreatic cancer is uncommon in people under 40 years old.

How is it Diagnosed?

Pancreatic cancer is diagnosed primarily through the use of computed tomography

CT Scans

MRI

Endoscopic Ultrasound

ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography)

Laparoscopy

Biopsy

What happens at the cellular and molecular level?

Adenocarcinoma of the pancreas carries a grave prognosis for affected patients.

Genes will mutate and can turn into a tumor

Growth receptor levels are higher than a normal pancreas

Metastasis plays a clinically prevalent role in tumors

What are the treatments? What are the cures?

Pancreatic Cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the pancreas. Tests that examine the pancreas are used to detect, diagnose, and stage pancreatic cancer.